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Adding fat to my diet is a new phenomenon to me. I've bought the Kerrygold, have a jar for my bacon fat, which sits right next to my jar of organic coconut oil. I am a food tracker, for a variety of reasons, so what I've been trying to do is get my fat to about 50% of my calories for the day. This works out to be about 75/100 grams per day.

I am just curious as to what other people are eating. Hard facts are good, but just a description of how you add fat to your meals each day is also perfect!

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funny. i just bought kerrygold for the first time yesterday. can't way to use it. – luckybastard Jan 7 2011 at 14:47
It's delicious! I will never go back to conventional butter! – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 14:54
really?! what do you use it for? also where did you get yours? the place i got it from seemed a little bit high in comparison to online prices i've seen... – luckybastard Jan 7 2011 at 14:57
I got mine from Sam's Club for $7 for a pound, but it lasts me at least two weeks and it's worth it. It's a bit cheaper at Trader Joes, but that's a further drive. I eat it on my squash (acorn/butternut) and on my vegetables mostly. I also use it to grease my pans for omelet muffins. – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 15:41
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I'm just curious if such a thing really even exists in long-term paleo dieters. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Jan 9 2011 at 2:46
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19 Answers

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I only eat animal fats, as I am keen to have their nutrients. I find beef fat especially nourishing and satiating. Pastured butter is also useful, and some cream. Wild salmon, cod liver oil, and egg yolks "sit" ever so well and seem to provide things vital, as well as occasional liver. If I leave out any of these, I can tell something is missing. I eat what seems to be the right thing for each meal, rather than having an arbitrary, pre-determined menu plan.

To put the fat in context, in case the information is of use:

I eat ca. 20-30 total carbs (not net) per day, which I watch closely. Protein range is 50 - 80 grams per day (of protein grams, not meat weight). The rest of the calories are fat. I don't count the grams of fat. By keeping the carbs at that level, and not going too low or too high with the protein, the amount of fat needed for satiety is easy to gauge. The carbs are divided for each meal, fewer at breakfast. (Dr. Richard Bernstein explains the chemistry of this plan of carbs in his book, "The Diabetes Solution", which I highly recommend, even if one is not diabetic. I do not have diabetes, but found his recommendations immensely helpful, although I eat fewer carbs than his recommended 30.)

On some days, the fat might be 65% of the food, and on other days, much higher.

I am over 55 and slender.


Foods I eat:

Beef, beef fat, liver, chicken liver, fish, egg yolks, pastured butter, cream (mostly as yoghurt), low starch vegetables, herbs. Occasional lemons, olives, and in the summers: cucumbers and a few berries.

I never eat foods not in my plan.


Foods I do not eat:

Grains, sweets/sugars of any kind, legumes, nuts/seeds or their oils, nightshades, sweet fruits, chocolate/cocoa, coffee, alcohol, artificial anything, prepared/packaged foods.


N. B.: For those reading this who are new to evolutionary nutrition:

I have found it immeasurably helpful to follow what Dr. Kurt Harris says, that a healthy metabolic milieu is maintained by the unhealthy things we leave out.

He states this again in his most recent blog entry, in a comment to Phil W., after the blog post:

http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2011/1/5/guest-post-professor-gumby-essay-001.html


This way of eating is a lifetime choice for me.

ETA: Steve asked a couple of questions in the comments which might be important. I don't drink coffee because I've never been a coffee drinker. Have tried it some over the years and it makes me feel "awful", as though I've been poisoned. (I drink tea in the morning, no flavorings, just a bit of cream, butter, and/or beef fat in it. The Tibetans are inspiring!)

I don't eat chocolate/cocoa because I am allergic. Perhaps it is the alkaloids. It is not important to me, so I haven't bothered to find out. I don't eat egg whites due to allergies. I don't miss them. Egg yolks are grand!

I don't eat nuts due to the phytic acid. Explanation is in the comments. If I can answer something else, I will try. :)

I hope this is of help. Best wishes to all with your food plans.

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That is an excellent response! Thank you. I need to work on the oily fish, but up until 2 years ago I had never even eaten fish, so I just try to push myself with new items here and there. The liver is something I need to work in too. I'll get there eventually! – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 14:46
Very interesting and helpful post PaleoGran. Care to expand on why you do not eat tree nuts? How about unsweetend cocoa and coffee? – Steve Jan 7 2011 at 14:49
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Hi, Steve. :) I've never been a coffee drinker. I'm allergic to chocolate and egg whites. I don't eat nuts due to the phytic acid. After reading Stephan Guyenet's posts at Whole Health Source on eating for the best bone and teeth health possible, I decided to avoid nuts. I find I feel better, which doesn't give much useful information to others, I know. Reading about phytic acid blocking mineral absorption made a strong impression on me. I am not interested in soaking, sprouting, fermenting and roasting something before I eat it. I don't like labor-intensive food preparation. – PaleoGran Jan 7 2011 at 15:54
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These comment boxes only allow short answers. I suspect the allergy to chocolate/cocoa could be the alkaloids. I am also sensitive to things high in salicylates. The Failsafe Diet blog has helped me greatly. failsafediet.wordpress.com Thank you, Steve, and Melissa, for your kind words. If I can answer something else, I will try. – PaleoGran Jan 7 2011 at 15:57
Thanks for sharing the failsafe link; very interesting & helpful! – Steve Jan 7 2011 at 17:39
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Oh gosh, I would have no idea how to get my fat that LOW, haha! Mine is usually at least 60% of calories if not more. I basically just cook everything in butter or lard, never drain fat from the pan, dress all my veggies. If I feel like a pan of food is too low fat I'll just add a big spoonful of a flavor appropriate one or I'll make some veggies or tubers to go with and cover them in butter. I also thicken sauces with butter. I think I'm made out of butter at this point.

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LOL. I've never been low fat, but I never paid attention to it. Before Paleo I was eating high protein / high fiber / moderate carb. It's just totally new to me to ADD it in. – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 14:22
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I am also a tracker too. I use the LOSEIT app. I track because I am a little OCD and even though I am paleo, I haven't had the greatest results yet. I think that it is hormones, and I will continue to plug away. Love how I feel without grains and lots of carbs. My fat% varies between 45% and 60%. I use coconut oil, bacon grease, fatty meats, and a small amount of nuts and seeds. I love fat and don't fear it at all. My fear are the carbs, so I eat fat and protein liberally, with a lot of fat coming with the protein.

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Food tracking is how I keep my previous food issues at bay. I've been doing it 6+ years now and it's just second nature now. And I love lists. – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 14:23
I love lists too! What do you use to track? – Deidre Jan 7 2011 at 14:29
I'm on Livestrong. I used to be on Fitday, but my sister dragged me over to Livestrong because we can have groups and look and and comment on each other's food. It's fun! – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 14:43
that sounds like fun. Do they have an IPOD app? I like Loseit! because I can take it anywhere with me. – Deidre Jan 7 2011 at 15:09
They do have an app, but it doesn't really work that well to me. I usually add all my food for the next day the night before so I can double check my ratios and know what to pack to bring to work and defrost for dinner. – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 15:43
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I'm averaging about 60-70g (about 50% of my intake) per day and am managing a fairly quick fat loss.

I used to average about 100g/day (about 70% of my intake) and had a decent fat loss, but not very quick.

For comparison I generally try to keep my carbs around 10-15% of my intake, but will occasionally indulge in some root vegetables and fruit - but not often.

I'm also tracking, because I was curious AND I wanted to see how tweaking things might affect the rate at which I've been losing fat. Like Deidre, I also use LoseIt (anyone else here? Let's be friends!)

I get my fat by using butter and bacon grease liberally, choose fatty meats (usually) - ground chuck, ground lamb, and I'm not shy about making a heavy cream-based sauce - dijon cream, hollendaise, etc (see here for my recipes). If I steam vegetables, I'll finish them off in a saute pan with butter and/or bacon grease.

Hope that helps!

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Kent - how do I find you to be friends? LOVE THAT APP. I have been using it since 5/09. Keeps me honest! – Deidre Jan 7 2011 at 14:29
Sweet! Thanks! I try to keep my carbs under 75 grams and my protein over 75 grams. The percentages vary. I use Livestrong, but maybe I will check out the LoseIt app. – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 14:32
Deidra - I think you can add me via my email address - kent at c2group dot net. (That does for anyone else reading here on LoseIt) - I'll be on the lookout! – Casey Jan 7 2011 at 15:33
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I have fat with both my meals, although I do not count calories. I workout regularly and I am very lean.

Here's a typical/example day:

Breakfast: 4 eggs scrambled with heavy cream and cooked in ghee or coconut oil, plus a copuple of pieces of pork sausage, bacon, or steak. I also have a few veggies (sometimes fresh as crudites and sometimes cooked). Once in a while, I will also have a little fruit (e.g., single slice of orange or apple, or a few berries).

Dinner: Ground beed (1/2 pound paddy) topped with bacon and pepperjack cheese, accompanied with a small veggie salad with olive oil & cheese. Once in a while I will also have a small bowl of frozen fruit with heavy cream.

I exercise 4 to 5 times per week, and the fat fuels my workouts.

  • 4x/wk: 30 min. of weights + 10-to-20 minutes of cardio.

  • 1 or 2x/wk: Interval training, swim or run (8-to-12 45 sec hard intervals).

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Thank you Steve! I am hoping to pick up some ghee today on a Whole Foods road trip. – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 14:55
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I consume about 200-300 grams of fat almost daily.

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Impressive! How do you get that much? – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 17:50
Mostly by eating really fatty meats, and adding lots of coconut oil to my food. Usually about 5-6 tablespoons. – rob Jan 7 2011 at 22:37
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....I'd like to add that I am a very active person. – rob Jan 7 2011 at 22:37
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I've been tracking on fitday. As an example, yesterday was:

~2700 calories 53% fat (22 sat%, 22% mono, 7% poly) Carbs 23% (yesterday was a strength training day and I'm doing the post workout sweet potato thing) Protein 22%

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Your percentages as about what mine are, I just eat far fewer calories! I think I am pretty content with my current ratios. I was just curious where other Paleos fit into the mix. Thanks for sharing! – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 17:51
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I get about 2600 to 3400 calories per day, at least 60% of calories from fat (if I subtract my wine!).

I never go below 60% of calories from fat and I don't try (but I have experimented with Fitday, just to see).

A typical daily diet:

Breakfast

I start with 3-5 strips of bacon, fried; I save the grease to cook 3 to 5 egg yolks; I fry 3-6 oz salmon (or scallops) in butter, coconut oil, or red palm oil OR use some of the bacon grease

2nd meal

Beef shank stew with maybe 0.75 pound beef shank and 0.75 pounds of some beef short ribs, chuck roast pieces or other tough cut of meat (whatever's on sale) slow cooked with wine and onions while I'm at work

Late night snack

Parmesan Reggiano pieces (3 oz)

Additional info: I tend to eat fruit only as a stopgap measure. If I'm traveling, it's a good, quick food that keeps well. Same with tinned sardines. I eat 2 meals daily but will occasionally get hungry late, especially because I play team sports and many games are night games.

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It is amazing to me that you get that many calories in 2 meals! I know you've done excellent in regards to weight loss, so it is very cool that this works for you! I am going to work on some slow cooker meals like that for my lunches. – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 18:12
Well, the red wine adds some "empty" calories. It's interesting to me that I haven't had to sacrifice this. Maybe I would have lost the weight quicker without it, but my favorite thing about eating the way I do is that I don't sacrifice anything... – wjones3044 Jan 7 2011 at 20:04
I love red wine! I try to keep mine to the weekends though and sometimes only once a month or so. I seem to get some bloating from the alcohol, which I guess most people probably get, but I am hyper-aware of it due to my high blood pressure/water retention issues. – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 20:38
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Last time I was tracking, I was getting about 60-65% of calories from fat. Breakfasts are often similar to the ones listed here (bacon and eggs), or dinner leftovers. I also make mayo-based salads (homemade mayo) often. I drink heavy cream with coffee in the morning, and that lasts me until midday, then dinner around 6-8pm.

Not being shy about the ghee, butter, mayo, etc. makes a pretty big difference. I also eat a fair amount of avocados, cheese, non-lean ground beef, sour cream.. often all at once ;) Think fat for your desserts too -- (whipped) cream!

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Sadly, I am not a fan of avocado. I could make myself do it, but it also gets gross quick and I like to make my food ahead for the week. I am buying ghee today. I need to unpack my food processor I got for Xmas and figure out how to make mayo. I love egg/chicken/tuna salad type stuff. I am dairy free this month, but plan on added it back in next month, so the cheese (raw, of course) will also help! Awesome tips, thanks! – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 18:30
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My fave meal salad: tuna, broccoli, red onion, pumpkin seeds, apple, dill, and mayo :) Also a curry chicken salad, or egg + coarsely chopped (lightly cooked) cauliflower with a bit of celery/carrots for a faux-tato salad. – stephthegeek Jan 7 2011 at 21:31
That sounds fantastic! I never thought of adding pumpkin seeds to a salad. – sherpamelissa Jan 8 2011 at 3:47
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it varies for me, but I get over 50% of my calories from fat. I'm not a very low carber, since I've concluded we should get about 30% of our calories from carbs, but I'm not fixated on the exact amount of carbs.

My biggest adjustment has been embracing the fat. I try to eat enough fat, and then let protein and carbs make up the balance. Protein usually takes care of itself, because my favorite sources of fat often have some great protein along for the ride. Now when I eat a steak, I don't trim away the fat like I used to. I eat the whole darn thing. Yum! When I make bacon, I don't carefully dry each piece on a paper towel. Now I eat them dripping with grease. And I cook my eggs in much of the leftover grease rather than draining it off.

But I still have to fight off that little voice that whispers that fat is bad. That comes from 20 years of conditioning. It's mostly gone, but I still catch myself starting to cut fat away sometimes.

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Yes. It's that little voice in my head that keeps me from adding more fat, but I think I'm okay where I'm at for now. I don't have anyone else in my life that is Paleo, so I have to kind of "sneak" the fat in. – sherpamelissa Jan 7 2011 at 20:20
Bacon is the one thing I find myself still blotting, although I'll happily cook the eggs in the bacon grease. I actually do feel a little queasy eating a ton of bacon fat in one sitting. – stephthegeek Jan 7 2011 at 21:32
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I've averaged approximately ~105 grams per day this week (only recently started tracking, using caloriecount.about.com), though it fluctuates with how much food I've eaten that day. It's about half of my daily calories. I'm new to paleo, so I'm struggling to get it much higher. My goal is to increase it to at least 60% of my calories or so, though. :)

I'm liberal with bacon, eggs, coconut (coconut butter, oil, etc) and I fry/drizzle my food in bacon grease whenever possible. I also don't shy away from the odd handful of nuts/seeds or avocado, and I indulge in dark chocolate whenever the fancy strikes me.

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Is there a reason you think it needs to be higher? I'm fairly happy with where mine is, but was curious about others. – sherpamelissa Jan 9 2011 at 2:43
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For me, mostly because the reason my fat is being dragged down is due to carbs. I'm still overcoming my vegetarian tendencies to load up on fruits and veggies and nut butters. To be able to comfortably rely on animal fats would make me feel much better about my diet because it would mean my sugar consumption is dropping. Plus, higher fat means I'm fuller and less likely to snack on sweets, which are still a vice of mine. :) I'm still experimenting with what works best for me, since I'm new to paleo and up until a couple months ago, I hadn't eaten meat in years. – Kaz Jan 9 2011 at 3:25
Kaz, I was the same as you until 6 months ago when I discovered beef, bacon, butter and heavy cream. They helped me cure my 20 yr aversion to fat and meat. It took a while but once you get the taste for it, nothing else really satisfies. Good luck – Mongoose Jan 9 2011 at 13:50
Thanks, Mongoose. That makes me feel better. :) – Kaz Jan 9 2011 at 19:31
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I love fat...

For me it's approximately ~200 grams per day: meat, salmon, bacon, butter, ghee, lard, tallow, coconut oil or high oleic sunflower oil, some pecans or macadamias.

That's 70% - 80% of my caloric intake - carbs are seldom more than 10 g per day...

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Wow! Are you still losing weight also? – sherpamelissa Jan 9 2011 at 14:56
Yes - slowly but steadyly... and I'm never hungry. Nothing to count or measure... – Kikilula Jan 9 2011 at 17:41
Kikulila, I'm glad you are doing so well. Congratulations to you! – PaleoGran Jan 10 2011 at 21:21
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For 10 yrs was on an Ornish/Pritikin pescatarian diet, roughly 10% fat, 15-20% protein, 75% carbs.

Went very strict Paleo 6mos ago: no gluten or grains of any kind, no sugars, processed foods, legumes, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, nightshades, alcohol, caffeine, and fruit limited mostly to berries.

  • 60-75% fat
  • 15-25% protein
  • 5-20% carb

fat comes from pastured meats, wild caught fish [mostly canned salmon, jack mack, sardines, anchovy] offal, coconut oil/milk/cream/butter, etc, red palm oil, olive oil, fish oil, cod liver oil, lots of avocado. I use so much coconut and red palm oil that I buy them in 5 gal tubs.

I'm sure on many days my saturated fat intake is over 50% of calories. Previously it was closer to 0-1%.

  • June 2010: 6'0 185
  • Sept 2010: 6'0 155 with no effort, hunger, etc
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Ah, Jack - my sister and BIL are doing Ornish pescatarian. It's driving me crazy. I know they could eat a lot worse, but the grains/beans part I can't talk them out of. I'm sending my sister Robb Wolf's book. :) – sherpamelissa Jan 13 2011 at 13:01
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I dunno...how much do you have???

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70%! Yummy! Yummy! I just eat fatty cuts of meat, like chuck roast, and add butter to my green veggies until they glisten. I scramble eggs in coconut oil and every day I hve 1/2 an avocado. I fry my sweetbreads in tallow left over from the chuck. Bacon 1x a week.

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I average 1842 cal per day, 100 g protein, 139 g fat, 60 g carbs. I'm losing 2.4 pounds a week. I'm currently 200 pounds, down from 212 in 5 weeks.

I feel fabulous. BP is down to normal & now un-medicated, skin is softer, joints no longer ache. I move faster than the "breadheads" that are 25 years old and I have tons of energy. I'm 59 and female.

Average day:

4 - 12 oz mugs of coffee with 2T heavy cream and stevia (8T heavy cream) Shake - 1/3 cup frozen organic blueberries or strawberries, or blackberries, 1 scoop whey factors, 3T flaxseed, 1t Ceylon cinnamon, 1T cocoa, stevia (process in vitamix 2 min) 1/3 pound of pastured pork sausage, 2 large pastured eggs fried in the sausage fat. Then I pour off and weight the leftover fat. Usually 7-9 grams. 1/2 pound of pastured beef (broiled or fried), 1 pound of fresh veggies, 1T Kerrygold butter

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Today I consumed around 4 tablespoons of goose fat (pasture raised), along with around 3 tablespoons of coconut oil, a tablespoon of avocado oil and two tablespoons of olive oil all in amongst strictly paleo meals (avocado, grass fed beef steak, onions and sweet potato). Is this excessive?

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my fat intake is different every day but it almost always includes 2-3 T bacon fat and 5-6 T coconut oil. i eat fatty meats and always leave the skin on. i'm doing low fiber right now so the added fat keeps me full.

fyi i am 5'4" and 91 lbs.

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By T do you mean tsp or tbsp? – Pecan Feb 17 at 8:20
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I try to have a mostly high-fat diet, as I've found fat is really satiating and nourishing. I cook with coconut oil and butter, eat plenty of egg yolks and also add olive oil and butter to a lot of food because it adds flavour and nutrients. I also am addicted to avocados, I eat one a day, they're so yummy.

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